Sign.



W. EASTER.

SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2B, 1913.`

Patented sept.9,1913.

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W. EASTER.

SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED APILZB. 1913.

1,072,870 Y Patented Sept. 9, 1913. l

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANDGRA nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn c.

' of the relatively movable members compris' wiinriinn RAsTiiR, orCHICAGO, iLLiivoIs.

sien.

vSpeciication of Letters Patent.

Application sied April 2s, 191e. seriai No. 764,066.

To all whomc't may concern: a Y

Be it known that I, WALTHER B Asrniz, a citizen of the United States,residing Aat Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful improvements in Signs; and I do herebydeclare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact ldescription of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled'in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same. i

My invention relates to improvements in changeable signs for advertisingand other purposes, and'particularly to signs adapted for use in yshowwindows and adjacent to the glass panes of doors in stores and the like.v

The primeobjects of my invention are to provide a simple, compact andcheaply con, structed sign which may be read front either side; toprovide a simple mechanism operated automatically upon the openingV orclosing of the door to which the sign is attached, for shifting portionsof the sign so as to change the legend upon both sides thereof; and toprovide azholder in which the sign portions may easily be exchangedV orreplaced, and in which the operating mechanism will serve to hold thesign portions in position.

While the device of my invention may be' used in many diii'erentpositions, it is par# ticularly adapted for attachment to a store.

door, immediately above the door-knob and is shown in this embodiment inthe accom-V panying drawings in which:

Figure 1- is an elevation of a door having the changeable sign of myinvention `attached thereto. Fig. 2` is a side elevation of the doorshowing a portion of the operating mechanism of thedevice of myinvention. Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of the sign portion of mydevice. Fig. 4E- is a section through Fig. 3 along the line 4 4. Fig.-fis a longitudinal section through Fig. 3 along the line 5 5. Fig. -6-'is a top or bot-tom View ofone ing the body or face oft-hesign.` Fig. 7-is an'elevation ofthe same. Fig.

-8- is an enlarged top 0r Abottom viewV ofthe intermeshed pair ofmembers comprising the face of my sign. Fig. -9- is a perspective viewof one of theintermeshed members of my sign.

ln the embodiment shown in the drawings, the device of my inventioncomprises a frame housing a `fixed and a movable sign member; a leveradapted to reciprocate the movable member; a pair of unequal springstending to draw the lever to its respective opposite position; and a camplate attached to the frame of the door and adapted to compress thestronger of said springs, thereby permitting the weaker spring tocontrol the position of the lever and hence of the movable sign member.

The sign proper consists of a pair of companion members l and 2, eachbeing a sheet metal plate having a series of tongues punched therefrom,the said tongues being equal in size and extending in the same direction. After punching each ot' the said tongues, or simultaneouslywith the said punching, I form a transverse bend in the strip portionsof the plate extending laterally at opposite sides of the tongue andadjacent to the base of the tongue, thereby providing an o-iset whichwill cause the successive tongues to lie in separated but parallelplanes. It will be evident from Figs. 6 and 9 that the transverseportion of each bend thusl formed will provide a slit or aperture equalin length to the width of the tongue and through which slit the tongueof a similar companion member may be inserted from the oppositedirection. At the same time, the forming of the offset in the lateralstrip portions of the plate shortens or longitudinally contracts thesaid strip portions so that the tip of each tongue will projectlongitudinally beyond a port-ion of the material from which the said tipof the tongue was severed. Each of the said companion members haslettersor sign portions positionedupon each side thereof, and when the tonguesof each of the companion memstrip portions will overlap or underlap soas to conceal some of the said sign portions. By suitably proportioningthe` travel orlength of relative motion of the signmembers, each tonguewhen in one extreme position will conceal one side of the adjacent signportion of the tongue and of the material adjacent to the base of thetongue of the com` panion member; and when moved to the other VeXtremeposition, each of the said tongues and parts 'adjacent thereto will bePatented. sept. s, isis. Y

member' and will disclose 4the sign legend upon that side of the latter.Since the two members are similar and symmetrical, this` alternateconcealing and revealing of the pair o'l legends upon each side offbothof the companion members will be simultaneous, so that the sign may be'read simultaneously from both sides thereof when positioned as inFig. 1. Giving .to the shortening 'of the body of the strip withrespectto the tongue portions thereof, the tip of each tongue will lapilongitudinally beyond the edge of the vi'naterial fromv which this tipwas severed, the excess in the length of each .tongue sei-ving as aguard' to prevent the inte'i'meslied tongue of the other sign member:from slipping out of its overlapping or underlapping position.

In equipping my sign for use upon store doors, I assemble the pair otsign members 1 and 2 with their :respective tongues and slitsinterengaged and slide .the pair ot' sign plates `into a channel steelframe 3 attached -to the frame of the door by screws 4. I thenfhookingly attach a link 6 to one ot the c'om-v panion members 2, theother end ot' this link being pivoted to a bell-crank 7 which `flias aspring 8 tending to draw it in one direction, this spring being normallyoverbalan'ced yby a wire spring 10 connected to the rocking lever 7 by awire 9. The lever 7 and spring 8 are preferably mounted in a frame 5which may be separated from the frame 3 and which abuts against the signplate 1 when fastened in place by screws 11, thereby holding the saidplate against sliding. Byre` Vmoving the screws 11, the frame 5 and .theoperating mechanism carried thereby can. readily be detached, thereby.permitting the sign plates to be reversed or others to `be substitutedfor thema The stronger spring 1.0 is preferably positioned close t'o theup-` per edge of the door and in the path of a camplate 12 adapted toengage this springi and to bend it downwardly when the door is closed,thereby releasing the upward tension on the wire 9 and permitting thespring` 8 to rock the lever 7' and move the movable -sign plate ,2 inFig. 3 to the left-hand eX- treme of its travel.` As soon as the door isopened suiiiciently to move the spring 1.0 out of engagement with thecam-'plate 12, ,the said spring will resume its upward tension upon thewire 9, vthereby overbalancing the spring 8 and returning the plate 2 tothe right-hand extrkeme of itsv travel.

Toinsure an easy sliding of the members relative to each other withoutrequiring great exactness'- in the positioning of the parts thereof, Ipreferably make both meinbers of the sainethiclniess of material andgive each ot' the transverse or odset bends height somewhat greater thanvdouble the thickness vof .either member, therebyprovidking slitsconsiderably wider thanthe thickness of the `tongues'whichslide throughthe said slits. lIt will be noticed that'the bends in each member serveto divide the same into a series of portions lying in parallel.

planes; each Vof which portions comprises' in a single plane a tonguenarrower than the width o1c the 'membena full width portion to which thetongue is attached at its base, and a pair of edge `.portions lateral of(.butnot in the same planewith) the .next successive tongue.

To prevent the overlapping vand under- ;lapping sign portions :fromrubbing against one another (thereby scrapingV and possibly ASi()distiguring the face portions 'of 'the signs) -I preferably provide a.ridge or rib 16 upon each sign member, which rib will actas a spacer toprevent a contacting vofthe tongues 11 and the sign portionslongitudinally thereof. Since the .sign members have diii'erent legendsexposed upon the portions disclosed respectively `in the twopositi'onsbetween which `these members are relatively movable, 1

yany person opening or .closing the door will automatically change thelegend of the sign direct-ly in front of him, thereby 'encountering two.different legends when entering the store and two others when leavingthe saine. i Y

While I `have shown :the sign of my in'- vention as adapted to aparticular locationV and as operated throug-hithe opening and closing ofa door7 it evidenti1 be adapted to operate in many other conditions;also that the alternative overlapping and underlapping signmeinberslcould be operated by other-means than the ones diff nat itcould -f closed in the drawings. I therefore do not wish to be limitedVto theY :particular embodiment here shown and described,V as it will beevident that .numerous .n'iodi-tications might be made i-n the samewithout depart# Ving from Ithe spiritof imy invention as embodied in theaccompanying claims.V Y

I elaiiii asnew and desire to Acover by Letters Patent: y

1. .A sign comprising-a pair of-slidably ii-iter-titt-iiio members eachhavlin'g va plurality *l ot' tongues extending in the .same generaldirection,y 'there being adjacent to the base of each tongue an Ioffsetbend in the portions o-t the member atV each side of the said iistongue, whereby each member is lbent. into a series ofportionslyinginparallel planes; each 'of said portions comprising in a single plane'a tongue narrower than the width of the mem-ber, a 'full width Vportionto which .the tongue is attacliedatits base and-fa pair ot edgeportionslateral yofthe next successive tongue.

2. A sign comprising a p'air of slidably interftting ineinbersmadeoitmaterials of substantiallyV equal thickness, each having i Vpunchedtheretigomaaplurali-ty of tongues extending in parallel planes in thesame general direction, therebeing adjacent to the base of each tonguean oiset bend in the portions of the member at each side of the saidtongue, the height of each of said bends being greater than double thethickness of the material from which each of the members is formed,whereby the said bands atlord slits of greater width than the thicknessot the said tongues.

3. A sign comprising a pair of members each having punched therefrom'aplurality of tongues extending in the same general direction, therebeing an olfset bend in each member laterally of each tongue whereby theconsecutive tongues are positioned in parallel planes, the space betweenthe tip of each tongue and the material from which this tip was punchedforming a slit, the tongues of each member projecting respectivelythrough the slits ot the other member, the said members relativelyreciprocable in the direction in which their tongues extend, wherebyeach tongue is adapted to expose and conceal one side of the adjacenttongues ot the other member upon relative reciprocation of the members.

et. A sign comprising a pair of members each having a pluralityot'tongues extending in the same general direction and having adjacentto the base of each tongue an odset bend in the portions of the memberat each side of the said tongue, whereby each member is bent into aseries of portions lying in parallel planes, and whereby the said bendsaliord slits in each member through which the tongues of the oppositemember may be slidably inserted; there being ridges upon the lateralportions ot' one of the said members, the said ridges adapted to bearagainst lateral portions of the companion member.

5. A sign comprising a pair of members each having a plurality oftongues, the said members movable from one to another ot' two relativepositions; the tongues ot one member lapped over and concealing portionsof the companion member, or lapped under and concealed by other portionsof the companion member, according as the of the latter, a frameslidably housing the A said members and adapted to receive the saidmechanism, and means for securing the said mechanism to the said frame;the said mechanism abutting against the other of the said sign membersto hold the same non-slidably in the said frame when the mechanism issecured thereto.

7 In a sign, a pair of relatively movable sign members, and mechanism:tor relatively moving the same comprising a lever, a pair of springs ofunequal strength tending to force the said lever in opposite directions,connections for imparting the motion of the lever to one of the signmembers to move the latter, and a cam member for relieving the pressui'eot the stronger of the said springs.

8. In a sign for use upon a door, a pair of sign members mounted uponthe door, mechanism for moving one of the said sign members with respectto the other; a pair of springs of unequal strength tending to operatethe said mechanism in opposite directions the stronger of the saidsprings mounted upon the door adjacent to the frame thereof; a cam-platemounted upon the door frame and adapted to engage and overcome thepressure of the said stronger spring upon the closing of the door.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

VALTHER EASTER.

Witnesses ALBERT SoHnnsLn, CHAs. S. PACKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

